Composite Building Material for Cementitious Material Wall Assembly

ABSTRACT

A composite building material includes at least one membrane, a spacer material bonded to one face of the membrane, and a lath bonded to an opposite face of the membrane. The components of the composite building material are installed simultaneously as an integral unit within a wall, roof or like assembly. The lath is preferably made of plastic or metal and is used to support cementitious material such as stucco, mortar, plaster, concrete and the like. The spacer material provides ventilation and drainage passages and is preferably provided as separate or integrally-formed spacer elements, an openwork mat, a corrugated material, or the like. Preferably, the membrane is building paper, tar paper, roofing felt, house-wrap material or like weather-resistive material. A wall/roof assembly and a method of assembling a wall/roof structure are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/714,882, filed Sep. 7, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a wall assembly having an outer finishlayer including stucco, mortar, stone, masonry, concrete, plaster orlike cementitious material, and more specifically to a compositebuilding material that is used within such a wall assembly and thatprevents the accumulation of moisture therein.

Moisture permitted to accumulate within a wall, roof or like structureof a building typically will cause premature deterioration of thestructure. Moisture accumulation can be avoided by providingventilation/drainage passages within the wall/roof assembly. Forexample, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,627 issued to Coulton et al. and U.S.Pat. Nos. 6,594,965 B2 and 6,786,013 B2 issued to Coulton and U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0045242 A1 of Lake, which areall assigned to Benjamin Obdyke, Inc., the assignee of the presentapplication.

Laths are known for use in mounting plaster and like substances tosubstrates. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,287,673 and 5,481,843issued to Kreikemeier and by U.S. Patent Application Publication No.2002/0108333 A1 of Clayton.

Various composite materials have been utilized in wall assemblies. Forexample, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,131,353, 6,745,531 B1 and 6,804,922 B1issued to Egan, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,395,401 B1 and 6,759,135 B2 issued toBramlett et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,390 issued to Sacks, U.S. Pat. No.6,233,890 B1 issued to Tonyan, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,869,901 B2, 6,761,006 B2and 6,550,212 B2 issued to Lubker, II, U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,799 issued toFinestone et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,316 B1 issued to Buscher et al.,and U.S. Pat. No. 4,315,392 issued to Sylvest and JP 1-83805 of Sato.

Although the drainage and/or ventilation products, building papers,house-wraps, laths and composite materials disclosed in the abovereferenced patents may function satisfactorily for their intendedpurpose, there remains a need for a composite building material for usein the assembly of a wall, roof or like structure having an exteriorfinish layer including a cementitious material, such as stucco. Thecomposite building material should prevent moisture infiltration andprovide drainage paths and ventilation air spaces between an innersheathing member and the exterior cementitious material. The compositebuilding material should simplify assembly of a wall, roof or likestructure and be capable of efficient and inexpensive manufacture.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

More specifically, the present invention is a composite buildingmaterial including at least one membrane, a spacer material bonded toone face of the at least one membrane, and a lath bonded to an oppositeface of the at least one membrane such that all the components of thecomposite building material can be installed simultaneously as anintegral unit within a wall or roof assembly. The lath is preferablymade of plastic or metal and can be used to support cementitiousmaterial such as stucco, mortar, plaster and the like. The spacermaterial provides ventilation and drainage passages and is preferablyprovided as separate or integrally-formed spacer elements, an openworkmat, a corrugated material, or the like. Preferably, the at least onemembrane is building paper, tar paper, roofing felt, house-wrap materialor the like.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a wall or roofassembly of a building is provided. The assembly includes an innerstructural component, an exterior finish at least partially formed ofcementitious material, and a composite building material installedbetween the inner structural component and exterior finish. The innerstructural component can be a sheathing member or open studs. Thecomposite building material comprises at least one membrane, a spacermaterial bonded to one face of the at least one membrane, and a lathbonded to an opposite face of the at least one membrane. The spacermaterial is oriented toward the inner structural component, and the lathsupports the cementitious material of the exterior finish.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method ofassembling a wall or roof of a building is provided. A compositebuilding material is fastened to an inner structural component, such asa sheathing member or open studs, of a building structure. The compositebuilding material includes at least one membrane, a spacer materialbonded to one face of the at least one membrane, and a lath bonded to anopposite face of the at least one membrane. The spacer material isoriented toward the inner structural component, and the exposed lath isapplied with an exterior finish that includes cementitious material. Thecomposite building material can be provided in a spiral roll or sheets.

BREF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention should become apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wall assembly according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 1A is a partial view of the wall assembly of FIG. 1 utilizing analternate spacer material according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the wall assembly of FIG. 1 alongline 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spiral roll of the composite buildingmaterial of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sheet of an alternate compositebuilding material according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 1A illustrate a wall assembly10 of a building structure. Of course, the assembly can also be utilizedto form roofs or other structures of a building. The assembly 10includes an inner structural component, 12 or 14. In the illustratedembodiment, the inner structural component is provided as an innersheathing member 12 that is affixed to support posts, or studs, 14. Theinner sheathing member 12 can be panels of plywood, oriented strandboard, particle board, insulated concrete, or like materials permittedby local building codes. Alternatively, the inner structural componentcan be provided by the support posts, or studs, 14, such as when openstud construction is utilized. In open stud construction, the sheathingmembers 12 would be eliminated.

A composite building material 16 is fastened as an integral unit to anexternal side of the inner sheathing member 12. Alternatively, thecomposite building material is fastened directly to the studs 14 whenopen stud construction is utilized. The composite building material 16provides a support for cementitious material 18 applied thereto. Thecementitious material 18 can be stucco, mortar, plaster, concrete or thelike. The cementitious material 18 itself can form an exterior finish 20of the assembly 10, or it can be utilized to secure other buildingelements, such as masonry materials, natural or synthetic stones, or thelike to the assembly 10.

The composite material 16 includes three separately-formed componentsincluding a membrane 22, a spacer material 24, and a lath 26. Themembrane 22 is preferably a building paper; however, it can also be tarpaper, roofing felt, polymeric house-wrap material, or any other type ofweather-resistive sheet material. The membrane 22 can be a single layeror multilayer membrane and more than one membranes 22 can be utilized.For instance, several like or different membranes can be securedtogether to form a multilayer membrane.

The membrane 22 has opposite faces, 28 and 30, and is sandwiched betweenthe spacer material 24 and lath 26. Preferably, the spacer material 24is bonded to one face 28 of the membrane 22, while the lath 26 is bondedto the other face 30. As an example, the spacer material 24 and lath 26can be bonded to the membrane 22 with adhesives or via thermal,ultrasonic, mechanical, chemical or like bonding techniques. Thecomposite material 16 can be provided in a spiral roll 32 as illustratedin FIG. 3 or in sheets 34 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The lath 26 is preferably a plastic or metal mesh material that providesa base for the application of cementitious material. Thus, after thecomposite building material 16 is fastened to the inner structuralcomponent, 12 or 14, with the lath 26 facing outwardly, cementitiousmaterial 18 can be applied directly on the lath 26 to form an exteriorfinish 20 of the assembly 10.

The spacer material 24 provides open ventilation and drainage passages36 adjacent the inner sheathing member 12 and/or studs 14. Thus, anycondensation, liquid moisture or moisture vapor that collects betweenthe exterior finish 20 and inner structural components, 12 or 14, willbe directed downwardly and outwardly of the assembly 10 or will beevaporated and removed via air flow through the passages 36. To achievethis purpose, the spacer material 24 can be a corrugated material asillustrated in the drawings or can be provided as an openwork mat, aplastic sheet material thermoformed or vacuum-stamped with outwardlyprojecting spacer elements from one or both faces thereof, or aplurality of separate spacer discs or elements secured to the membrane22. For example, a corrugated plastic sheet of material 38 withperforations 40 provides the spacer material 24 in the assembly 10 ofFIG. 1. In contrast, the spacer material 24 in FIG. 1A is provided as acorrugated web 42 of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments.

If inner sheathing members 12 are utilized in the assembly 10, themembers 12 are secured with nails 44 or like fasteners to posts 14. Asan option, a weather-resistive membrane (not shown) can be applieddirectly over the inner sheathing member 12. Alternatively, the innersheathing members 12 can remain exposed. If utilized, theweather-resistive membrane on the sheathing members 12 can be a buildingpaper, tar paper, roofing felt or a polymeric house-wrap material thatpermits moisture vapor to exit outwardly therethrough.

The composite building material 16 can then be fastened to the innersheathing members 12 with fasteners 46. Alternatively, if open studconstruction is utilized, the composite building material 16 is fasteneddirectly to the studs 14. The fasteners 46 can be nails with relativelylarge nailheads, nails utilized with relatively-large diameter washers,or staples. Thus, all layers 22, 24 and 26 of the composite buildingmaterial 16 are connected simultaneously with the fastener 46 to theinner sheathing member 12, or studs 14. If the composite buildingmaterial 16 is provided in a spiral roll, it is unrolled before or asthe fasteners 46 are applied. The composite building material 16 canalso be provided and applied in sheet form.

After the composite building material 16 is fastened to and covers theinner sheathing member 12 or open studs, cementitious material 18, suchas stucco, is applied with a trowel or like tool to the outwardly facinglath 26 of the composite building material 16. The membrane 22 preventsingress of the cemeintitious material 18 into the passages 36 providedby the spacer material 24.

While preferred composite building materials, wall assemblies, andmethods of assembling wall structures have been described in detail,various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention as definedin the appended claims.

1. A composite building material, comprising: at least one membranehaving opposite faces; a spacer material bonded to one of said faces ofsaid at least one membrane and providing ventilation and drainagepassages along said face; and a lath bonded to the opposite face of saidat least one membrane and adapted to provide a base for cementitiousmaterial.
 2. A composite building material according to claim 1, whereinsaid at least one membrane is a single layer membrane.
 3. A compositebuilding material according to claim 1, wherein said at least onemembrane is a multi-layer membrane.
 4. A composite building materialaccording to claim 1, wherein said composite building material isadapted to be stored and shipped in a spiral roll.
 5. A compositebuilding material according to claim 1, wherein said composite buildingmaterial is adapted to be stored and shipped in sheets.
 6. A compositebuilding material according to claim 1, wherein said lath is made ofplastic or metal.
 7. A composite building material according to claim 6,wherein said lath is bonded to said at least one membrane.
 8. Acomposite building material according to claim 6, wherein said at leastone membrane is selected from a group consisting of a weather-resistivemembrane, a building paper, a tar paper, a roofing felt, and ahouse-wrap material.
 9. A composite building material according to claim8, wherein said spacer material is selected from a group consisting of aplurality of separate spacer elements, an openwork material, an openworkmat of randomly convoluted polymeric filaments, a corrugated material, athermoformed web of thermoplastic material, and a vacuum-stamped web ofthermoplastic material.
 10. A composite building material according toclaim 8, wherein said spacer material is bonded to said at least onemembrane.
 11. A wall or roof assembly of a building, comprising: aninner structural component, said inner structural component being asheathing member or open studs; an exterior finish including acementitious material; and a composite building material installedbetween said inner structural component and said exterior finish, saidcomposite building material comprising at least one membrane, a spacermaterial bonded to one face of said at least one membrane, and a lathbonded to an opposite face of said at least one membrane.
 12. Anassembly according to claim 11, wherein said composite building materialis positioned within said assembly such that said lath confronts saidexterior finish and said spacer material faces said inner structuralcomponent.
 13. An assembly according to claim 12, wherein said lath andspacer material are bonded to said at least one membrane before beinginstalled within said assembly.
 14. An assembly according to claim 13,wherein said at least one membrane is a single layer membrane.
 15. Anassembly according to claim 13, wherein said at least one membrane is amulti-layer membrane.
 16. An assembly according to claim 13, furthercomprising a fastener that connects the composite building material,including said at least one membrane, spacer material and lath, to theinner structural component.
 17. An assembly according to claim 16,wherein said fastener is a nail, a nail with a washer, or a staple. 18.An assembly according to claim 16, wherein said lath is made of plasticor metal.
 19. An assembly according to claim 18, wherein saidcementitious material is selected from a group consisting of stucco,mortar, concrete and plaster.
 20. An assembly according to claim 18,wherein said exterior finish is selected from a group consisting ofstucco, masonry, natural stone, and synthetic stone.
 21. An assemblyaccording to claim 18, wherein said at least one membrane is selectedfrom a group consisting of a weather-resistive membrane, a buildingpaper, a tar paper, a roofing felt, and a house-wrap material.
 22. Anassembly according to claim 21, wherein said spacer material is selectedfrom a group consisting of a plurality of separate spacer elements, anopenwork material, an openwork mat of randomly convoluted polymericfilaments, a corrugated material, a thermoformed web of thermoplasticmaterial, and a vacuum-stamped web of thermoplastic material.
 23. Anassembly according to claim 22, further comprising an optional secondweather-resistive membrane positioned between said inner sheathingmember and said composite building material.
 24. An assembly accordingto claim 23, wherein said optional second weather-resistive membrane isa building paper, tar paper, roofing felt or house-wrap material.
 25. Amethod of assembling a wall or roof of a building comprising the stepsof: fastening a composite building material to an inner structuralcomponent of a building structure, said inner structural component beinga sheathing member or open studs, said composite building materialcomprising at least one membrane, a spacer material bonded to one faceof said at least one membrane, and a lath bonded to an opposite face ofsaid at least one membrane; and applying cementitious material on thelath of the composite building material to form an exterior finish. 26.A method according to claim 25, further comprising the step of providingthe composite building material in a spiral roll and unrolling thecomposite building material before or during said fastening step.
 27. Amethod according to claim 25, further comprising the step of providingthe composite building material in sheets.
 28. A method according toclaim 25, wherein said lath and spacer material are bonded to said atleast one membrane before said composite building material is fastenedto said inner structural component.
 29. A method according to claim 28,wherein said fastening step includes applying a fastener through alllayers of the composite building material to simultaneously secure alllayers of the composite building material to the inner structuralcomponent in a one step process.
 30. A method according to claim 29,wherein said spacer material faces the inner structural component andprovides ventilation and drainage passages that extend between the atleast one membrane and the inner structural component.
 31. A methodaccording to claim 30, further comprising the optional step of securinga weather-resistive membrane to the inner sheathing member beforefastening the composite building material to the inner structuralcomponent.